Please help (Basement Problem)

Hello,
I rent basement space for living quarters together with my four children.
There are three other families which rent other areas of the basement, and
all of us share the same problem.
The landlord refuses to fix the water problem. Everytime it rains, the
basement gets as much as four inches of water down here. We are concerned
about getting shocked from the appliances or from our fans which we run to
keep the air circulating.
Could some kind soul give advice how we could seal the walls to keep the
water out? Is there any suggestion for something we can do outside? One of
the families suggested putting plastic on the block wall outside, which is
above ground. This is a very old home, so I can kind of see the landlords
refusal to fix this.
Thank you.

Just call the local health department and explain the situation just as you
described it above, that should take care of the situation and you won't be
seeing water in your present living quarters at all ever again.
Good luck!

Yeah, just get some saran wrap and seal up around the outside. Be sure to
seal any holes or windows too. Duct tape applies at the seams and joints
will also help. Spray the exposed exterior with a coat of silicone spray.

First the fix depends on the problem. Most of the time the fix does not
mean sealing walls to keep the water out, rather it means keeping the water
away from the walls to start with. That means re-grading the soil and
redirecting drain water.
However this is not your property and you may well not have the
authority to fix it anyway. What you do have is the right to demand that it
be fixed. Contact your local health department, who may take the case for
you or investigate rental rights groups in your area. Many local areas have
government run rental rights agencies to take care of this kind of problem.

Grade the outside away from the outside of the house so that water does
not pool against the walls. I have used Drylock and Seal Crete to seal
concrete block and brick walls. Drylock must be brushed on. SealCrete
can be sprayrd on with a garden sprayer. Both require at least two
coats. But stopping the water from sitting against the foundation
walls is the best fix.
Stretch

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